In the past, resort has been made to using ice chests to cool wine. However, there are disadvantages to doing so. For example, because wine bottles are often larger than beverage cans, larger ice chests are typically needed, in which case they can be quite cumbersome to use. Moreover, it is particularly burdensome to use an ice chest if only a single bag of prepackaged wine must be cooled. In addition, wine contained in an opened wine bottle may easily spill in and ice chest. The current trend in the wine industry is to store and distribute wine in boxes, rather in wine bottles. The present apparatus is designed primarily for the purpose of cooling and dispensing wine contained in a bag from a conventional boxed wine.
Prior art teaches a variety of beverage cooler devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,606 issued Jan. 13, 2004 to Jones et al. teaches a cooler in combination with an ice pack and canteen wherein a container with a dispensing opening is partially filled with water, frozen and then placed in the cooler along with cooler contents. However, unlike the present apparatus, the cooler does not provide a beverage-dispensing or wine-dispensing feature.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,621 issued on Jul. 8, 2003 to Shimazaki provides a beverage bottle cooling method and apparatus with an assembly for holding ice and water comprising a container for ice and/or water that is adapted to have a commercial beverage bottle positioned therein, wherein such water and/or ice can be stored and seated with a space between the bottle and container to help keep the beverage inside cool. The present apparatus is different, however, because it is designed to cool and dispense wine packaged in a box, rather than in a bottle.
In addition to the foregoing patents. U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,239 issued Nov. 19, 2002 to Hodosh et al. teaches an insulated soft-side portable case having a receptacle positioned so that an object, such as a canned or bottled drink seats within the receptacle, and part extends outwardly so that a user can reach it which, in contrast to the present apparatus, could not accommodate wine packaged in a bag from a prepackaged boxed wine.
U.S. Pat. No. D497,777 issued Nov. 2, 2004 to Sanders et al. teaches an ornamental design of a combined wine cooler and ice bucker which is not designed to cool and dispense wine provided in a bag from prepackaged wine box as does the present apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. D490,274 issued on May 25, 2004 to Irvine also teaches a wine cooler in the general shape of a large vase which is not designed to cool and dispense wine packaged in bag from a boxed wine as does the present apparatus.
What is needed is an apparatus to cool and dispense wine contained in a wine bag within wine distributed in boxes. The present apparatus addresses this need.